When we stand in front of choirs, we frequently stand in front of diverse groups of humans. And yes, diverse in terms of race, gender identity, gender expression, religion and much more. But, one sometimes overlooked reality is that we also stand in front of individuals with diverse VIEWPOINTS. Diverse world views, political views, philosophical […]
Choralosophy
The Choral Marathon with Dr. Emily Williams Burch In the Studio
A choral musician with a “marathon mindset” would never listen to a choir and think, “well, we’re done. We’ve done all we can do.” The same is true of our lives as teachers/conductors. Welcome Dr. Emily Williams Burch BACK to the show, but this time IN my home studio. A lag free conversation in which […]
The Mental Gymnastics of COVID Rehearsals with Dr. Kyle Nielsen
As we march through what has been the most challenging semester possibly to EVER face the field of education, we find ourselves twisting our minds in pretzels to discover what works and what doesn’t work on the fly. Every day is an experiment whether you are in person with masks, hybrid or all online, you […]
Teaching With Heart with Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand
When we see and hear the Aeolians perform we impressed by the technical precision. We are in awe of the dynamic range, the tone, the diction and the phrasing. But we are INSPIRED by the emotional buy-in and engagement from the singers in the ensemble. This culture doesn’t happen naturally in choral ensembles. It is […]
It’s Time to Transfer the Deed to Our Singers with Dr. Betsy Cook Weber
Dr. Weber, in my mind, is one of the legends of the choral profession due to the contribution of her body of work over many years and at all levels of teaching. I find the combination of her high level of music making, along with her experience in classrooms with young kids and everything in […]
Prioritizing Technique, Not Style with Dr. Andrew Crane and Dr. Jami Rhodes
At the end of the year the students should be better singers. Not better CHORAL singers. Better SINGERS. Dr. Jami Rhodes This special episode is a tag team. Dr. Andrew Crane of Brigham Young University and Dr. Jami Rhodes of East Carolina University join me to discuss some common myths, misconceptions and vocal pedagogy practices […]